Texas law (Texas Education Code, Title 2, Subtitle F, Chapter 28, Subchapter A, §28.004) requires the establishment of a School Health Advisory Council for every school district. The SHAC is a group of individuals representing segments of the Waxahachie community, appointed by the school district and Board of Trustees to serve at the district level, to provide advice to the district on coordinated school health programming and its impact on student health and learning.

SHAC plays an essential role in strengthening the connection between health and learning.

The SHAC provides an efficient, effective structure for creating and implementing age-appropriate, sequential health education programs, and early intervention and prevention strategies that local families and community stakeholders can easily support.

The mission of the Waxahachie ISD SHAC, in partnership with the staff, parents, and community, is to advise the Waxahachie ISD Board of Trustees on coordinated and age-appropriate school health programming that motivates and promotes healthy lifestyles for all.

The Waxahachie ISD SHAC follows the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child model, which is the CDC’s framework for addressing health in schools.  The WSCC model is student-centered and emphasizes the role of the community in supporting the school, the connections between health and academic achievement, and the importance of evidence-based school policies and practices.

10 Components of the WSCC Model

1. Community Involvement
2. Health Education
3. Physical Education & Activity
4. Nutrition Environment & Services
5. Health Services
6. Counseling, Psychological & Social Services
7. Social & Emotional Climate
8. Physical Environment
9. Employee Wellness
10. Family Engagement

WISD school counselors are vital representatives of the School Health Advisory Council. The district counseling team offers prevention and intervention services to support the mental, behavioral, and social-emotional health of students and promote success in the learning process. 

Services include direct and indirect interventions to address psychological, academic, and social barriers to learning, such as individual or group counseling and consultation; and referrals to school and community support services as needed. 

WISD school counselors serve as committee members and assist in the SHAC's decision-making process. These committees gather information, analyze available data, make recommendations to SHAC, and report to SHAC for recommendations to the school board.

One of the duties of the SHAC includes recommending appropriate grade levels and methods of instruction for human sexuality instruction.

The WISD school board shall select any instruction relating to human sexuality, sexually transmitted diseases, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), or acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) with the advice of the SHAC. The instruction must:

1. Present abstinence as the preferred choice of behavior for unmarried persons of school age;
2. Devote more attention to abstinence than to any other behavior;
3. Emphasize that abstinence is the only method that is 100 percent effective in preventing pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, infection with HIV or AIDS, and the emotional trauma associated with adolescent sexual activity;
4. Direct adolescents to a standard of behavior in which abstinence before marriage is the most effective way to prevent pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and infection with HIV or AIDS; and
5. Teach contraception and condom use in terms of human use reality rates instead of theoretical laboratory rates, if instruction on contraception and condoms is included in the curriculum.

The WISD school board has approved the WISD counseling team to teach: 

• Play It Safe curriculum in grades PreK-5 
• Choosing The Best curriculum in grades 6-9 

These curriculums are designed to be developmentally age-appropriate to each specific grade level and are available for parent review in the WISD Curriculum and Instruction Department.